OCA Denounces Deplorable Family Separation Policy at Border

Washington, DC – OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates vehemently condemns the Administration’s policy of separating minors from their parent or guardian at the border while seeking asylum.

Under a policy launched by the Trump Administration in May 2018, a zero-tolerance policy is being enforced at the border, resulting in the separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents over the last six weeks. The policy harkens back to the United States’ detention policies towards Chinese and other Asian immigrants on Angel Island in the early twentieth century, as a result of the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, who were fleeing violence and seeking economic opportunities.

“We are outraged at the deplorable policies leading to the separation of children from their guardians at the border. The administration is ripping children away from their parents. It’s heartbreaking. It’s wrong. And it’s a violation of their due process rights. They are treating asylum seekers, many of whom are children, with a new level of cruelty,” said Vicki Shu, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs. “The Asian American and Pacific Islander communities understand not only what it’s like to be detained, like with Angel Island or the World War II internment camps, but also what it is like to seek asylum in another country. These policies irreparably traumatize young children seeking safety in a new country. We urge President Trump and Attorney General Sessions to abandon their ill-advised zero-tolerance policy and seek humane measures to verify asylum seekers and keep families together. Failing movement from the Administration, we call on Congress to pass standalone legislation keeping these families together.”

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).